To Love a Luthor
by 1Syphira
Summary: This closely follows the TV series with one itty bitty tiny tweak - Lena and Kara are in love. This is basically the rewrite we all want.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer(!):** Too crazy to own it, too lazy to try. So don't sue!

 **Author's Note:** I consider this AU because Mon-El isn't Kara's boyfriend (because let's face it, no one wants to see that). All romantic interactions with him are going to be omitted. This is a "What if?" fic. This fic starts right after the events of the "Luthors" episode. Because dear LORD the office scene! Soooo much inspiration. X3

 **Warnings(!):** MAJOR FLUFF WARNING. This will also contain spoilers for some episodes, now and in the future. And also, if you are new to the realm of 1Syphira, I write SMUT. Lots and lots of it. So don't even think about continuing unless you plan on reading some sweet lesbian SECKS. X3 If this offends you, what the HELL are you doing on this website? You do realize like 99% of what's in here is smut, right...?

 _ **TO LOVE A LUTHOR**_

 **Chapter One**

Kara left Lena's office feeling both stupidly happy but also strangely empty. She had played her hand and felt somewhat foolish. She had told Lena she would be there for her always. _Always_. She meant every word, but it certainly laid her feelings and intentions bare.

It wasn't until she got back to her apartment before she realized something about all those flowers. Lena had sent her flowers to her work, a public place.

Now, Kara still had some difficulty with cultural differences between Kryptonians and humans on occasion, but she darn well knew what flowers meant. Especially mass quantities of them. A proclamation of feelings. Also a declaration of ownership because Lena sent them to a public place. She knew Lena wasn't really the type of friend to publically embarrass someone for fun. No, these flowers meant more than a playful display of friendly affection. Lena was marking her territory.

When she arrived at her apartment a few seconds after leaving Lena's office, she stripped her clothes and Supergirl uniform and tossed them on the bed before climbing into the shower. She didn't even bother with cold water; she kind of enjoyed the scalding heat. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs with the humid air taking slow, deep breaths. She then did a couple of Kryptonian mind-clearing exercises.

When her mind was clear, she asked herself a simple, yet so very complex question.

"What are you so afraid of?" she said aloud.

The answer was immediate. _'I can't lose her. It would break me.'_

This brought more questions of course. Questions like, could Lena accept her knowing Kara was Supergirl? Kara suspected Lena already knew; her I.Q. was off the charts for heaven's sake, but Clark had somehow always kept his identity hidden from Lex Luthor. And then there was the big one—what if she was wrong and Lena didn't feel the same way? When Winn confessed his feelings it nearly destroyed their friendship. She couldn't handle the idea that it might ruin her friendship with Lena.

Then again, was friendship enough? She wanted so much more than that. And she couldn't handle the idea of Lena falling for someone else. Just the thought made jealousy twist her stomach. She genuinely wanted Lena to be happy, but she also wanted Lena to herself. Humans had a subtle way of scorning jealous love, but Kryptonians had a more philosophical way of viewing it. Kryptonians, by nature, were a romantic people and Kara was no exception.

In that same moment she realized she had left Lena alone when she was probably feeling vulnerable. Guilt consumed Kara in an instant. In the following two seconds, Kara was showered, dressed in her Supergirl uniform, and was halfway across National City before you could say "Kryptonite."

Lena's apartment, like all things Luthor, was huge and lavish, and conveniently located on top of a lovely apartment complex complete with a garden on the roof. It was a beautiful Japanese rock and bonsai tree garden with a sprinkling of sakura trees and exotic flowers. Lena had an automated glass roof installed that with a press of a button covered the whole roof. In the winter it made for a convenient greenhouse and wind blocker on breezy days. Fortunately, the glass roof was currently open.

When Kara neared the building, she saw Lena standing on the small oak rainbow bridge which arched over a lovely koi pond. The koi beneath were languidly swimming around, disappearing under large lily pads then reappearing a few moments later. Lena had a glass of wine in her hand and a sadness laced her eyes that broke Kara's heart.

She slowed so as not to startle the brunette and stopped, hovering a few feet above the roof. Though it was night, the strings of paper lanterns betrayed Lena's bright smile when she saw the Kryptonian.

"Supergirl," she said and her smile widened. "This is a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe the honor?"

"I came to make sure you were all right," Kara replied in her most Supergirl-like voice.

"You're kind," Lena replied. "But unfortunately I don't think you can help me with what's really troubling me."

"About your mother?" Kara asked, tilting her head.

Lena took another sip of wine then said, "No. I've made my peace with that woman. As much as one can make peace with one's mother, albeit adoptive, being a genocidal maniac. No, what's troubling me is that I'm a coward."

"Miss Luthor, you are many things, but a coward is not one."

Lena smiled again, though Kara couldn't quite place what was behind the smile. "I am though. I'm in love with someone, Supergirl. I'm in love with someone but I know they could never love me, thanks to my accursed Luthor name."

Kara's stomach lurched. Lena? In love? With whom? She thought they talked about everything, how could she not know who it was? Why had Lena never mentioned this before? But worse still, had she missed her chance with Lena?

"They'd be a fool to judge you by the sins of your predecessors and not worth your time," Kara said, surprising both of them with her candor. "They should be so lucky to have someone so kind and so good as you, Miss Luthor."

"Even if that someone is Kara Danvers?"

Kara nearly fell out of the air and her heart pounded so hard she was afraid the whole city could hear it. She could feel herself turning red. It occurred to her she should really work on her poker face. Or that she should learn to control her reactions in general—especially around Lena.

"K-Kara?" she stammered, then pretended to clear her throat. "You're in love with Kara Danvers?"

"I hope she's not spoken for. I know you two are close," Lena commented.

Something in the way Lena said "close" gave Kara the uncomfortable feeling Lena knew too much. "I-I mean she's single I think." Kara giggled awkwardly.

"Then there's hope after all," Lena said in a voice so seductive it made Kara's knees feel weak. She was suddenly glad she was floating, not standing. "But I'm still a fool. I so very much wanted to tell her how I felt and I couldn't do it. And God, she's so wonderful. And ridiculously perfect. I don't know why she wastes her time on me. I've never met anyone like her. How could I not love her? God listen to me, I'm sorry. You've got far more important things to do than listen to the ramblings of a lovesick woman. You've got people to save, buses to stop from falling off buildings and all that."

Kara giggled again. "The evening is quiet, no buses falling through the air. And I wouldn't be much of a hero if I left a friend in need."

Suddenly Supergirl wished she had come as Kara and not as the hero. Then again, if she had she may never have heard Lena's sweet confession of love.

Lena took another long drink of wine. "So what do you suggest, Supergirl? Should I take a chance and hope to whatever gods might listen she's open to the idea of dating a woman? Or assume she's straight and to avoid offending her, keep my mouth shut?"

"Well considering her sister is gay, I doubt you'll have to worry about offending her," Kara replied. "And I can't exactly vouch for her sexuality, but I do know that, for Kara, love is love. I don't really see her limiting herself on love by ruling out fifty-one percent of the population. What's that human expression? 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained'?"

A smile Lena reserved only for Supergirl crept into her red lips. "You've given me new hope. Thank you."

"Always," Kara replied. She felt as though her heart would burst with happiness.

A moment later she realized she said exactly what she had said only an hour before in Lena's office and said it in exactly the same way. If face-palming wouldn't have looked extremely suspicious just then, she would have.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** So I've decided to kick out the whole events of "Mr. and  & Mrs. Mxyzptlk" for the purposes of this fanfiction, mostly because Lena wasn't in it LOL. Let's face it - the best episodes are the ones involving Lena. So this chapter takes place between "Luthors" and "Exodus."

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

Kara couldn't sleep that night. She was too giddy but didn't dare go back to Lena as Kara. It would have been way too suspicious. Or at very least it would have made it look like Supergirl had blabbed to Kara about Lena's feelings, which would make Supergirl look like a jerk and Kara was most certainly not a jerk. Which meant she would have to wait until their next adventure—date? Kara felt a lot like it was a date—an evening of ziplining across a couple of skyscrapers in National City.

Kara couldn't wait. She couldn't focus on work all day (much to the annoyance of Snapper), and when the D.E.O. needed her help catching a rogue alien prisoner, she only half-heartedly fought him. She brought him down only after he made her angry enough to knock him out with a hit that landed a bit harder than she intended.

After the rather unimpressive fight, Alex cautiously approached Kara while a couple of agents hauled the alien into a black D.E.O. van.

"Are you okay? You seem a little distracted," Alex said, the all-too-familiar concern filling her eyes.

"Oh yeah," Kara replied with an obvious giggle. She cursed herself. She couldn't even think about Lena without getting a stupid grin all over her face. "It's … probably a solar flare."

One of Alex's eyebrows just about took flight. "A solar flare?" she repeated, entirely unconvinced.

"What? They do weird things to me," Kara said defensively.

"Okay, you don't want to tell me. That's fine as long as you're all right."

"I'm good. I'm great. I'm fabulous. How are you? Are you and Maggie good?"

Alex looked slightly flustered, then she laughed. "We're good. We have a romantic evening planned tonight. We're going to build a fort, have a bunch of junk food, watch ' _Carol'_ then make out. Hopefully a lot."

"Whoa too much information!" Kara said with a laugh. "What's _'Carol'_?"

"According to Maggie, it's 'lesbian initiation'."

Kara blinked. "I don't know what that means."

"Me either. But I do know the main character is gay, so my guess is, it's about lesbians. It was nominated for an Oscar, so it must be a big deal, right?"

"Well it sounds like you're in for a fun night. Let's have a girl's night soon. Only maybe let's not watch something that might make you and Maggie make out in front of me."

Alex snorted behind her grin. "Deal."

-ooo-

The evening found Kara staring at her closet trying desperately to figure out what to wear. She wanted to wear whatever would make Lena think she was the sexiest woman alive, but she had a feeling skirts or dresses weren't the best options for ziplining. Especially since they were ziplining between skyscrapers. She didn't want to give the world below the peepshow of a lifetime. Which suddenly made her question why she wore a skirt as Supergirl…

"Focus, Kara!" she scolded herself.

She pulled out her phone and Googled "fashionable outdoor wear." Google seemed to think form-fitting cargo pants and a tailored hoodie was the answer. And since the Google Gods seemed to know everything about humans, she concluded this must be sound advice. She was also devastated to find out she had no such outfit. For being an indestructible demi-god, she wasn't really the outdoorsy type.

An hour and a lightning trip to REI later, Kara was back home examining her hips and backside in her new black cargo pants and sporty, form-fitting red hoodie. She also took the liberty of buying the most stylish Nikes she could find, because for some reason humans insisted certain brands were better than others. All in all, it wasn't at all her normal look, but she decided it didn't look terrible.

After this realization, she panicked. Something that "wasn't terrible" was like saying "well that meal didn't make me vomit."

She was about to blast to Alex's apartment and beg for help but a sudden knock on the door startled her out of her panic. She flashed to the door without X-raying it first and yanked it open.

"Lena!" she exclaimed.

"You always seem a little surprised to see me. Should I be worried?" Lena said with a grin. "Cute outfit by the way. You have no right to fill out those pants so well."

"Really?" Kara asked and breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a blush. "I had no idea what to wear. I've never been ziplining."

She took that moment to see what Lena was wearing and had to bite her lower lip to stifle a whimper of approval. The brunette wore a pair of athletic slacks that showed off every curve, every line, and a light blue pull-over hoodie that clung to her like paint.

"You'll love it. Nothing quite like flying over the city at incredible speed, eh Kara?"

Kara's heart leapt into her throat. "W-what?" she stammered.

"Ziplining. I was talking about ziplining. What were you talking about?" The mischievous glint in Lena's eyes made Kara uncomfortable. Why did she get the continual feeling Lena knew more than she was letting on?

"N-nothing. So um, want me to call a cab?" Kara swung her arms awkwardly.

"I have a driver, Kara. You know my driver by name. It's Olivia just in case you somehow forgot."

"Oh right! I knew that," Kara let out something akin to a strange giggle. "I mean you're a billionaire for goodness sake, of course you have a driver." Then she paused and horror filled her face. "I am so sorry that was rude! I'm-I'm-!"

"Kara," Lena interjected. "Relax. It's not like I'm sensitive about being a billionaire. That would kind of make me a jerk. And considering how many business calls I have to take while driving, it would be irresponsible of me to do my own driving, so of course I have a driver. Plus I'm giving someone a great job, a 401k that contributes ten percent, and great medical benefits. Win/win, right? Now what has you so nervous? Don't tell me you're afraid of heights? Because you probably should have mentioned that before I bought the zipline package."

The genuine concern in Lena's eyes melted Kara's heart. "No, no. I'm not nervous, are you nervous? I need to get my purse!" Kara dashed (fortunately she remembered not to run at superspeed) to her kitchen counter, grabbed her purse, and dashed back. It was a lie. She was nervous as hell, but not at all about ziplining. She desperately wanted to talk about her (apparently mutual) feelings for Lena. And just knowing Lena was _in love_ with Kara made her feel giddy and like endless butterflies were fluttering in her stomach. And a little like a schoolgirl with a massive crush.

Kara bustled out the door and locked it. Fortunately Lena was good at gracefully getting out of the way because Kara may have bowled her over in her haste to leave. She firmly decided after their. . . date? she would confess her feelings. Even if that meant in the meantime she would have to suffer the anticipation of it all.

Lena's car turned out to be a limo with a mini bar, neon lights everywhere, leather seats, a 32-inch Smart TV, phone chargers, tablets… it was basically the most fancy thing she'd ever sat in and it was overwhelming.

"Do a lot of traveling, do you?" Kara asked.

"Oh this is a rental. I have a private jet for any long distance or overseas traveling."

Kara's mind wandered to the mile-high club then blushed. She cleared her throat. "You rented a limo for us? Why?"

"I just decided spur of the moment, let's go wild and take a limo! I can be spontaneous when I put my mind to it and plan the moment carefully."

Kara giggled. "I feel like a VIP."

"Well you are, Kara Danvers. At least you are to me."

Kara felt herself flush yet again. She wanted to lean over right then and there and kiss Lena, but her desire for privacy outweighed her momentary desire. Olivia was a lovely person, but she wanted their first kiss to be private. She wanted to do it right. She wanted to do everything right by Lena.

Since apparently the limo was also equipped with all the current game consoles, they decided to play Mario Kart on the Nintendo Switch. Kara couldn't remember ever having so much fun playing a video game. It seemed everything was better whenever Lena was involved. She intentionally lost every time. Considering her mind and reflexes could keep up with traveling at the speed of light, it was quite a feat losing every time, but it would have seemed ungracious to beat someone who had so generously rented a limo for them.

About an hour later after a short car ride, a long elevator ride, and a whole bunch of safety instructions later, they stood excitedly near the edge of the roof of the tallest skyscraper in National City. The zipline itself was one of the longest in the world, running almost two kilometers in length and the receiving end was at a shorter skyscraper some distance away.

One of the instructors finally finished explaining safety (which, considering she was Supergirl, Kara wasn't too concerned), then they all climbed a tall flight of stairs to the top of a small tower atop the skyscraper where they began strapping on gear. They were then attached to the zipline with giant metal hooks. Then the instructor launched himself down the zipline first to show them how to do it.

A few minutes later he radioed the second instructor when he arrived and let him know they were clear to land. And then the other instructor went over more safety and hooked them in and went over some more safety, then checked over their hooks then went over more safety, then looked over their harness, then went over more safety for good measure. Kara knew they were being so "safety conscious" was because they were transporting a billionaire via not the most secure transportation in the world, but this was just ridiculous. They had basically signed their souls away in wavers upon their arrival that they (and all their immediate family and distant family including everything between siblings and 60th cousins) would for sure not sue anything or anyone involved in this zipline company, no matter how dismembered they might become during the course of the flight.

Because they had chosen the "buddy" package, Kara was strapped to Lena up behind her, and suddenly her senses were assaulted by the sweet aroma that was Lena Luthor. Her knees nearly buckled. Then she cursed her knees for not being very Super.

"Okay, are you two ready?" the instructor said with an overly cheerful, terrified smile.

Lena tightened her hands around the handlebar above their heads. "I'm ready, how about you Kara?"

"Let's fly!" Kara said enthusiastically.

"All right on the count of three, you are going to launch yourself off the edge like we showed you. Ready? One…two… three!"

On three they leapt off the edge of the tower (Kara added a bit extra push so they could go faster than normal) and a moment later they were zooming down the zipline. Both Lena and Kara let out a joyous "Whoohoo!" as they raced over downtown National City, wind whipping through their hair. Of all the times Kara had flown over the city, never had it been so wonderful as it was with Lena in her arms.

Apparently Lena agreed that it was an awesome experience, because she generously paid for five more flights down. They had endless fun in the limo rides back to the first skyscraper, pressed all the buttons in the elevator rides just to annoy the zipline instructors, and (much to the dismay of the instructors) did the rest of the flights without holding the handlebars, opting to wave their hands around like children on a roller-coaster and whooped like hooligans.

Kara couldn't remember having so much fun in her life, not even on Krypton. Even the limo ride back to the apartment was a joy. They toasted their ziplining victory with tequila mimosa shots and giggled like schoolgirls all the while.

When the limo came to a stop, Kara suddenly realized they were at Lena's apartment building. The Kryptonian looked at Lena in confusion.

"Want to come up for a drink?" Lena asked. "Or some delivery? I haven't eaten in a while but I'm not really in the mood to go out after all that excitement."

Kara's heart sped up. Lena Luthor was inviting her up for drinks. She knew this well as an Earth custom for asking someone up to spend the night. They had a similar custom on Krypton in which one would ask the other if they would like to come in and "break bread." In Kryptonian, "bread" and "bed" didn't sound so similar, so now "breaking bread" sounded funny to Kara.

"I'd love to," Kara said before she could stop herself.

Lena, of course, had her own private elevator that could only be opened by an iris-scan, as well as two armed security guards always posted by her elevator door. But entrance went smoothly, and Kara was pleasantly surprised to discover the elevator did not have terrible music playing. The elevator itself was a work of art, complete with a black marble floor, Cherrywood paneling with intricate filigree, gold handlebars, a giant mirror, and to top it all off, a lovely glass chandelier hung above their heads behind a plexiglass shield.

Kara's mind wandered to some very steamy elevator make-out scenes she'd seen on TV. Then she imagined pressing Lena up against the elevator wall and got uncomfortably hot.

"So did you have fun?" Lena asked, interrupting Kara's highly inappropriate imaginings.

Kara cleared her throat. "So much fun! Now I want to zipline all over the world!"

Lena smiled. "I'm glad. Next I want to go bungee jumping. Want to go bungee jumping with me?"

The elevator dinged and the door opened.

"How did I not know you're an adrenaline junky?" Kara asked as they stepped out of the elevator and into Lena's apartment.

"I like to think being a little mysterious adds to my allure." Lena gave Kara that oh-so-familiar seductive, flirty look.

Kara giggled nervously, followed by an uncomfortable silence. She wanted to launch right into what was on her mind, but she didn't know how to approach it. Segues were not her specialty, direct confrontation was. She attacked problems head on like so many battles with large, ugly, often smelly aliens.

The problem here being, Lena was most certainly _not_ a large, ugly, smelly alien.

Lena mixed them up a couple of fruity blue drinks, blended them, then handed one to Kara in a crystal cocktail glass.

"Cheers," Lena said and clinked her glass against Kara's with a million-dollar smile.

"Cheers," Kara replied and took a long drink. She lamented the fact that alcohol did not have the power to give her liquid courage.

"So. If you could be world dictator for a day, what would you change?" Lena asked.

Kara sputtered for several moments. "Well that's one way to start a conversation," she laughed. "World dictator. Goodness I wouldn't want to be world dictator, not even for a day."

"No?" Lena asked. Curiosity filled those beautiful green eyes.

"It seems like even those world leaders who try to implement things with good intentions behind it, people find a way to twist it, to turn it into something ugly. Real change, real lasting change comes from spreading love and hope, not by dictating the change you think is best for everyone. Martin Luthor King Jr didn't dictate anything to anyone, all he did was spread the message of a dream and love, and look how much change he inspired. Aaaand oh my gosh I am so sorry I'll get off my soapbox now."

Lena was giving Kara a look that could only be described as adoring. This of course made Kara blush. "You're so _good_ ," Lena crooned. "How are you such an impossibly good person? I can't fathom why you spend time with me."

"What!" Kara exclaimed, incredulous. "Of course I want to spend time with you. You are one of the most incredible, intelligent, generous, kind, beautiful people I know. And your heart, despite the challenges you've faced in your life, is so beautiful. The first time you agreed to let me interview you? I know you only did it to help a fledgling reporter in need. Even then you were so good to me Lena, and I…" Kara paused trying to find the courage to continue. She wanted to tell Lena she was in love with her, but she wasn't sure Lena was ready. A confession to Supergirl was not the same as a confession to Kara. The Kryptonian took a deep breath and took the plunge. "And I want more, Lena. I want this to be more."

Lena's soft smile turned to complete surprise. "You. . . you want more? Like as in. . . you want to be with me? Like as in you want to be in a relationship with _me_ , a Luthor?"

"Not 'a Luthor,'" Kara corrected. "You." And then Kara lost her nerve. "But I mean I don't want this to ruin our friendship if you don't feel the same and I totally respect that and I really hope this doesn't change anything between us if you don't feel the s-!"

Lena closed the space between them so fast it impressed even Kara, and before she knew what was happening, Lena's lips were locked with her own. For a very brief moment, Kara thought she was dreaming and was about to wake up only to realize this wasn't actually happening. But then she felt Lena's pounding heart against her own and Kara's heart soared as it had never soared before.

Lena's lips were every bit as soft as she'd ever imagined. Their lips lingered, soft and almost hesitant, but it deepened as a hunger for more began building between them. Kara pressed the other against the counter and whimpered when Lena's tongue met her own. Lena tasted of mint and roses and Kara knew then and there she would never want another's lips like she wanted Lena Luthor's.

The brunette's hands snaked up Kara's sides and before she knew what was happening, slender fingers were unzipping her hoodie. A split second later Kara remembered she was still wearing her Supergirl uniform beneath her clothes.

She pulled back with a small groan of regret and pushed her glasses up more as a defense mechanism than actual need.

"Lena," she breathed the whisper, "God, Lena."

"Are you okay? Is this too fast?" the other asked in concern.

Speed was not usually the issue for Kara. She hated that it was now. She wasn't ready to tell Lena she was Supergirl, and she didn't want to make love to her until then. She felt Lena had a right to know all that encompassed being intimate with Supergirl, including her powers, her strength, and the fact that she wasn't actually human. She wanted to ensure absolute consent, _especially_ since she was Supergirl, before sleeping with Lena. Lena had a right to know. Hiding such a thing from a lover was wrong and Kara knew it only too well.

"I just . . . I just _really_ don't want to mess this up. I want to do it right and I want it to last," Kara replied truthfully.

"Me too," Lena said softly. "There's no one like you, Kara. Believe me I've searched the world over. You're the best friend I've ever had and yet I'm so selfish. I want more of you, I want _all_ of you. I . . . God, Kara I—."

Kara was normally too polite to cut someone off mid-sentence, but she had to kiss Lena again. And she knew what Lena was about to say, but she also knew Lena wasn't ready to say it, so to solve both their problems, she came to the brunette's rescue. Lena groaned into the kiss and melted into Kara, and in turn, the blonde wrapped her strong arms around the other in a covetous embrace.

The kiss deepened and lingered, both of them wanting so much more, but neither willing to cross a bridge from which they knew there was no return. Eventually Kara heard a distant siren and remembered she had responsibilities.

Exerting all the will of Supergirl, Kara pulled back and rested her forehead against Lena's, taking a moment to catch her breath and collect herself.

"I should probably go. If I stay much longer, 'going slow' is going straight out the window."

Lena exhaled a small laugh. "Agreed. Can I see you tomorrow, then? Can I pick you up for lunch?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Kara replied, offering up a weak smile. She didn't particularly feel like answering the siren's call, but it gave her the strength she needed to leave.

After stealing one last lingering kiss goodnight, Kara slipped away. As she flew away once out of sight, she had a feeling lunch tomorrow couldn't possibly come fast enough.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** So this chapter takes place during the events of "Exodus," only (obviously) Kara and Mon-El aren't a couple. For the purposes of this story, he still exists in the universe, he's just been massively friend-zoned, as it was Mon-El who convinced her to post the blog which got her fired. I don't even have to bastardize Mon-El because he does that all on his own. I didn't really have to change anything about Kara and Lena's interactions, because this ship writes itself. XD I thought it would be fun to write out their interactions without making any changes, just to show how much this ship writes itself. All I've added is what's going through Kara's head.

[Fun challenge for my dear readers: go back and watch the scenes and try and tell me what I've written _isn't_ what's happening; as in, try and tell me they aren't flirting like crazy lol. I dare you. XD].

 **SPOILER Warning(!):** This chapter contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the "Exodus" episode. If you haven't seen that episode yet, I STRONGLY suggest you watch it before continuing! You've been warned.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Tomorrow turned out to be one of the worst days of Kara's life. What was promising to be such a good day when they rescued Jeremiah at long last, turned into a day of heartache and betrayal. Somewhere in the middle of the chaos, Kara slipped away to an empty room at the D.E.O. and called Lena. She exhaled a sigh of sheer relief when she heard Lena's voice in her ear.

"Well hello, Miss Danvers."

The flirtation in Lena's voice made Kara's heart ache. "Hey Lena. I am so sorry but everything at work just sort of exploded all at once and then a huge family thing just came up and I just don't think I can make lunch today. I promise I'm not blowing you off—believe me I would much rather be spending my day with you. But can we reschedule to tomorrow? I really want to see you."

"Of course, don't worry about it," Lena replied, her voice so calm and soothing, Kara forgot for a moment that her life was insane. "I found this new fermentation place I've been wanting to try. I read something called kombucha is supposedly amazing and healthy. Want to try it out?"

"I would love that. You're not going to pick me up in that crazy limo again, are you?" Kara said, unable to stop a grin from tugging at the corners of her lips.

Lena laughed. "Only if you want me to. And Kara?"

"Hmm?"

"Whatever is happening in your life, I'm here. Whatever you need. Call me and I'll be there."

Kara bit her lower lip. "Thank you, Lena. It means more to me than you know."

* * *

The next day came and Kara's life was upended once again. Aliens were being kidnapped by Cadmus left and right, Snapper refused to publish her article warning them, and Jeramiah was still caught up in the middle of all of it. Because of all this, Kara forgot about lunch _again_.

She only remembered, and hated herself for it, when she found herself exclaiming, "Lena!"

"She said with surprise in her voice for some reason," Lena said without missing a beat.

"Ooooh my God we were going to go try that new fermentation place, I totally forgot I'm so sorry!" Kara pushed her glasses up in order to have an excuse to break eye contact with Lena. Those green eyes were looking at her so adoringly and Kara felt she didn't deserve it at all. "Th-there's just been a lot going on," she finished with a falter. Words had a way of failing her around Lena.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain. Kombucha can wait," Lena replied with a reassuring smile. She reached a comforting hand toward Kara but seemed to sense this wasn't the place to show open affection and paused.

"Okay," Kara exhaled something between a sigh and a frustrated growl. Her day couldn't get worse, and to top off everything else, she now had to cancel lunch _again_ with the one person she actually wanted to see right now.

"Is everything okay?" Lena asked, concern rippling through emerald eyes.

"No," Kara replied a little too quickly. "Snapper refused to publish m-my article" - she faltered yet again when she made eye contact with the brunette - "on Cadmus. He said I need more sources."

Lena's face darkened. "What did Mother do now?"

Kara's lips tightened in discomfort. She hated herself for even bringing it up. The last thing she wanted was to do anything that would hurt Lena. An internal battle raged inside Kara for an uncomfortable moment, but in the end she knew she could never lie to Lena. "Cadmus stole the alien registry. They're abducting everyone on the list. My article was meant to warn everyone."

Kara closely watched Lena's face go darker, but then she saw an idea creep into those eyes. "Well something this important, if Snapper won't let you publish it at CatCo, maybe as a citizen journalist. Post a blog, tweet the hell out of it. Imagine how many people you could reach instantly blogging about it."

Kara's mind starting spinning with ideas as well. "Yeah, maybe you're right. . ." then she remembered her contract with CatCo and the idea fell apart. "Although Snapper would _crucify_ me."

She brought her eyes back up to meet Lena's and was met with a gaze of such adoring affection she found herself breathless. She knew she would have to change the subject or she might take Lena home right then and there. "H-hey maybe in the meantime, um maybe there's something you can help me with. Does L-Corp have any technology that we could use to find missing aliens?"

"Yeah I could look into it," Lena said readily. Then a sly grin entered her red lips that did little to quell Kara's desire for Lena. "Or maybe I can do one better. When Lex ran the company, Mother was on the board. Maybe she left something behind. You know, trail of breadcrumbs?"

 _'God she's sexy,'_ Kara thought while politely listening to Lena. _'I can't believe I made out with her two days ago. I need to do that again. Very soon.'_ Kara had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from doing just that.

"Could be your second source," Lena continued.

Kara had no doubt. She was in love with Lena Luthor. "Thank you," she said, unable to mask the tenderness in her voice.

"What are 'friends' for?" the brunette said with a little too much flirtatious emphasis on the word "friends."

Kara giggled and looked down. She very much hoped they could repeat their kiss from the other night. Soon.

* * *

Kara's stomach twisted into knots. For reasons she couldn't comprehend, she had just let Mon-El talk her into posting the blog warning aliens about Cadmus's abduction plan. Why had she let him talk her into that? He seemed quite self-satisfied that he'd successfully talked her into do something. She wanted to slap the smirk right off his face. It was annoying enough that he had invited himself over without calling first, but now she just wanted to forcibly remove him from her apartment.

She had originally planned on posting it anonymously, but she feared it wouldn't reach enough people in time if she did. And due to the sheer number of users in popular blog sites with the username "Supergirl" (or some variation thereof), she was afraid if she tried creating a Supergirl profile, everyone would think it was fake. Lena's idea was a great one and it was the right thing to do, but she had a terrible feeling it was going to get her fired.

"Let's get some chow," Mon-El announced, as if rewarding himself for a job well done.

Kara completely ignored him because just then her phone rang, snapping her out of her internal panicking. She launched herself at her phone when she saw the caller's name in her screen.

"Lena?" she answered and sprung to her feet with an uncontrolled smile when she heard Lena's voice.

"I found something," Lena replied, though her voice sounded somber. "Activity at a LuthorCorp facility that's supposedly defunct. It's big enough to build almost anything," Lena paused and Kara held her breath. "Or hide something," Lena finished.

Something in the brunette's voice had Kara worried. Then she heard a strange noise like an electrical current followed by a crash and her worry was confirmed.

"Lena?" Kara said, praying to the gods that everything was somehow okay.

"Stay back!" she heard Lena's voice come through, though it sounded distant.

"Lena!" Kara exclaimed. But she didn't need further provocation to go to Lena. She didn't even bother telling Mon-El where she was going, but she did hear an indignant, "Hey! Where are you going?" before she flew out the window.

She focused her hearing in the direction of L-Corp and when she heard Lena scream, she flew faster than she had ever flown in her life. She saw Lena get pushed over the edge of the balcony and rushed to the brunette's side. Kara matched Lena's falling speed so as not to slam into her, and rearranged Lena mid-air so she was no longer falling head first, then slid her arms under Lena bridal style.

"It's okay," Kara said gently, slowing their decent. "I've got you. I'll never let anything happen to you."

The Kryptonian flew them back up to Lena's balcony and glared at the two mercenaries staring at her in fear.

"Drop something?" she said, daggers lacing her words. Then she blasted them with freezing air for good measure, satisfied when it sent them flying. She secretly hoped it hurt before the impact knocked them out.

She lowered Lena to the balcony and ever-so-gently set her down.

"How did you know?" Lena asked, her voice shaken and breathless.

"I was ga-getting…" Kara floundered, trying to look casual, "Coffee! With Kara Danvers uh. . . when you called," she finished lamely.

There was a heartbeat of a pause that made Kara's heart leap into her throat.

"Well that's lucky," Lena said with a smile that felt as though it may have had a bit too much incredulity behind it.

"Yeah!" Kara agreed with an awkward laugh.

"Well I'm glad you're here," Lena said, thankfully getting them back on track. "I have something you'll both want to know. Cadmus and the missing aliens? I know where they are."

* * *

It occurred to Kara, only after she rescued a ship full of aliens, that she almost _lost_ Lena. The woman with whom she was in love had been thrown over a balcony, and if Kara wasn't Supergirl, Lena would have _died_.

This crushing realization weighed more heavily on her than the fact that she'd just been fired. And just when she thought her day couldn't get any worse. During everything, she had only been trying to help people, to do the right thing. And now she had no job and someone she loved almost died.

She sat in the window sill of her apartment overlooking National City, wondering just how much more it would take from her, and how much more strength she would have to find within herself in the future. She knew, due to her actions, that getting hired at another news outlet company would be virtually impossible, given the reason she was fired. Breaking contract was generally frowned upon in the journalism community.

A soft knock on the door brought her out of her dark train of thought. She willed herself to stand and answer it; hoping it was somehow a pizza delivery boy even though she didn't order pizza.

When she opened it, the softly smiling face of Lena met her weary eyes. This was an even more pleasant option than magically delivered pizza.

"Lena," she said as more of a thanks to the gods than a greeting.

"Hey," Lena said, her voice sounding like a gentle caress. "I heard what happened today. I didn't know what to do, then I remembered when I was really upset you brought me donuts and how much better that made me feel. And well, I didn't know if you've had dinner so I bought pizza and pot-stickers too."

Kara leaned forward and kissed Lena before she could stop herself. She would have kissed her into oblivion, but eventually she remembered they were still halfway in the hall, so she decided against it.

"How did you know you are just what I needed right now?" Kara asked.

Lena followed Kara into the apartment and set down her bag of food on the bar. "Woman's intuition," Lena replied with a wink. Then she asked, "May I?" gesturing to the kitchen cabinets.

Kara had to bite back a smile. Lena was so polite it made her heart ache. "Of course."

Lena dished them up a couple of plates then signaled Kara over to the couch. After setting the plates down, she shrugged off her coat and pulled the blonde down onto the couch with her.

Kara nibbled at a potsticker, then said, "You shouldn't be the one to be doing this, I should. You did all that work for me, helped me find out where the aliens were, and then was almost killed for your efforts." Kara's voice caught in her throat. Just saying it aloud was terrifying. "I should never have brought you into it, and I'm sorry."

"Kara," Lena said, her voice firm, "I'm already in the middle of it. My mother is the leader of Cadmus, so by proxy I'm already involved. You didn't do anything wrong in asking me for help. It was the right thing to do, the natural next step in your search."

Kara studied Lena while she spoke, another battle raging inside herself. She wanted so much to tell Lena who she was, but the timing felt wrong. She was feeling vulnerable and sensitive to the fact that Lena's life had been in danger, and she wasn't sure she trusted that it was the right moment.

"You're the strongest person I know, Lena. How do you do it?"

Lena turned to face Kara on the couch. "Considering you know Supergirl, I'll take that as a very large compliment." Again Kara was given an adoring smile. "How do I do it? I don't know. I suppose I have a sort of mantra I tell myself every day. I wake up, I poor my coffee, and with my first sip I tell myself, 'never give up.' No matter what I'm doing or how busy my day is, I always make room for that little bit of me time to remind myself to never give up. I think I started the habit when I was a child. Kind of a way of dealing with my mother. I decided early on I wanted to be as little like any of them as possible."

"As long as you stay as much like yourself as you are right now," Kara said.

"I'll do my best," Lena said with a grin and handed Kara a pair of chopsticks. "Now let's say we have some comfort food and come up with a battle plan for finding you a new job."

Kara slid a hand over Lena's and lowered the chopsticks. "No battle plans. Not tonight. Tonight I just want to be with you. Will you . . . will you stay with me?"

"Of course," Lena replied. She reached up and lightly brushed Kara's cheek with soft fingers. "All night if you need me to."

Before Kara could stop herself she was kissing Lena again. Just feeling Lena's lips again made Kara moan softly into the kiss. She longed for more within moments, she _needed_ more.

The kiss became heated and breathless and before Kara realized what she was doing, her hands were reaching towards Lena's silk blouse. She unbuttoned two buttons when soft hands clasped hers suddenly, causing Kara to freeze and pull back from their kiss.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have d-done that," Kara said, nibbling her lower lip in worry.

"Kara," Lena relied, her breath ragged which Kara found incredibly sexy, "God, Kara don't be sorry. I _want_ this. So much more than you know. But I think you're feeling vulnerable right now, and I don't want to be the kind of person who takes advantage of someone who is vulnerable. But God it's taking all my will to do this. Or _not_ do this."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Kara said again. "I shou-,"

Lena silenced Kara with another gentle kiss, but it lacked the urgency from a moment before. Kara marveled at Lena's apparent self-control and drew comfort in it. It felt oddly liberating not having to be the one in control for once.

Kara curled into Lena, losing herself in the other's warm embrace. And there she stayed the whole night. For the first time since leaving Krypton, she felt safe. And also for the first time since learning she was the second to last Krypton in the galaxy, she couldn't remember feeling so happy.


	4. Chapter 4

**SPOILER WARNING!: This chapter contains MAJOR spoilers for the ending of the "Ace Reporter" episode! DO NOT continue if you don't like spoilers!** You've been warned.

 **Author's Note:** As usual, I'm following the episode pretty closely, with more fluff and lesbians and less hetero lol. I'm just sayin', she chose to save Kara over certain ex boyfriends, so there was that. Power to the LESBIANS! X3 Having said that, I really do like Rahul Kohli. He's possibly my favorite character in iZombie. Anyway! Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Lena stood outside Kara's apartment fidgeting with her purse strap. She hadn't knocked yet because the favor she was about to ask she wasn't sure she should ask. She didn't want to give Kara the wrong impression. The favor involved Lena's ex and, true, she had been stuck on him pretty much since they broke up, but since meeting Kara he had become a thing of the past. She would always look back at her time with him with fondness, but she was ready to move on, ready to dive headfirst into whatever was happening with Kara. She hoped whatever it was, it was of the permanent variety.

Just thinking about Kara brought a goofy grin to her face and before she could stop herself, she was knocking on the door. A moment later the beautiful smiling face of Kara Danvers opened the door.

"Lena!" Kara exclaimed.

Lena thought about commenting on Kara's (yet again) surprised reaction to see her but found herself pulling Kara in for a kiss instead. Kara didn't put up the slightest struggle and instead melted into the brunette's lips. As was usually the case with them whenever their lips collided, the kiss became heated within moments. This time it was Lena who pulled back before her hands started wandering to Kara's body.

"Well hello to you too, beautiful," Lena said with a grin.

A huge grin filled Kara's lips and she pushed her glasses up in her adorable shy way. Lena bit her lip. She found it incredibly sexy every time Kara fiddled with those ridiculous glasses.

Kara cleared her throat and blushed prettily. "So what brings you to the rent controlled side of town?"

Lena was about to answer when she smelled the suspicious odor of carbon. "Are you grief baking?" She asked, sweeping past Kara and into the other's apartment.

"No!"

"Liar."

"Being unemployed is not fun anymore," Kara said defensively. "Granted, I've only been unemployed for. . . two whole days, but you know what? It's not fun! I'm a workaholic with nothing to do!"

"How is it someone as capable as yourself can't bake a basic... anything?" Lena teased.

"Hey!" Kara said defensively. "I can cook! I can reheat pizza like nobody's business!"

Lena bit her lower lip. Kara was so damn cute. Deciding to act on her sudden desire, she pulled Kara to her by those delicious hips and planted a warm kiss on the other's lips. Lena couldn't help but smirk into the kiss when Kara melted into it. It was kind of a power trip knowing she had this kind of affect on Supergirl.

When they pulled back Kara was looking flushed and slightly ruffled and Lena found it incredibly sexy. "So there's this thing I want to go to but there's this catch."

Kara pushed her glasses up. "Oh?" she said, her voice delightfully breathless.

"My um... my ex boyfriend is going to be there because there's this big unveiling," Lena said. Then when she saw the flicker of worry cross Kara's face she said quickly, "I want to bring you so he doesn't try to rekindle anything. He broke my heart and I've finally moved on and I want to show him I've moved on because I want this, I want you. I want to see what he's launching, but I don't want him to get the wrong impression as to why I'm there."

Kara worried her lower lip. "So you want me to come along as your arm candy?"

"Would you?" Lena blurted out with a small giggle. "It would go a long way to healing and closure and all that."

Lena saw the most sexy, flirty smile enter Kara's lips that set Lena on fire. "What do I get out of it, Miss Luthor?"

Lena's eyebrow shot up so high it practically took flight. "What do you want?" she said in a low voice.

"An evening alone with you afterwards. No shop talk. Just the two of us with a candle lit dinner."

Lena's smile widened and she leaned in for another heated kiss. "Are there any 'after dinner favors' I need to perform, Miss Danvers?"

Kara nearly choked around their kiss. "Lena!"

Lena laughed. "What? You started it."

"You're terrible."

"I do my best," Lena replied and wagged her eyebrows.

Kara grabbed Lena's hand and began dragging her toward the door. "Let's get going before we miss the expo. I like having your back. It makes me feel needed."

"Good. Because I need you, Kara Danvers."

Lena was quite pleased to see Kara blush.

* * *

As always seemed to be the case with being Supergirl, Kara's week went from promising and happy, to a total train wreck. After going to the expo (and being seriously suspicious of BioMax) and having the most awkward lunch with Jack, Mon-El, and Lena, now two people were dead. And the icing on the horrid-week cake: Kara was jealous and worried. She was worried she saw feelings in Lena's eyes when she looked at Jack during lunch. Kara hated herself for thinking that, for feeling jealous, but it was there nonetheless. Even more so now that she just found out Jack was the murderer. That didn't help.

And now she had to go to Lena and try to convince her, without sound like a crazy jealous girlfriend, that she had evidence that showed Jack was the killer. Her heart skipped a beat when the word "girlfriend" crossed her mind. They weren't actually official. They'd never even agreed they were official. They agreed to take it slow, and they agreed they had some undefinable "thing" between them.

The semantics of it all suddenly made Kara angry. Why hadn't she asked Lena if she would be her girlfriend yet? Her _exclusive_ girlfriend? She needed to punch something. Instead she flew to L-Corp and decided to get the impending conflict over and done with. When she knocked, she was relieved when Lena answered the door personally, and Jack wasn't there. That was a plus.

"Well hello, beautiful," Lena greeted her with a warm hug. "What brings you by?"

Kara let herself be let into the other's office and Lena poured them a couple of mugs of coffee with her expensive espresso maker.

"Lena . . . before I tell you what I came here to tell you . . . I need to ask you something first," Kara said. She was already regretting the decision. How could she _not_ look jealous? ' _I am literally prefacing telling her about Jack being a murderer with a "Oh hey honey, do you still love you ex?"'_ Kara felt sick, something she didn't even know was possible for her. "Do you . . . are you still in love with Jack?"

Lena's hands paused mid-pour. She carefully set her coffee cup down and looked Kara directly in the eyes. "If I were still hung up on him, why would I invite you to go with me to the expo? Or for lunch, for that matter? I told you I'm over him and I meant it. I would never lie to you, Kara. Never."

Kara gulped. And now she felt guilty. And here she was thinking her week couldn't get worse. "I'm sorry I just . . . I just don't want to lose you, Lena."

"I'll admit it was confusing seeing him again. However," Lena said, and Kara didn't miss the emphasis on the word, "I would never risk losing you over confusing feelings, especially an ex. I'm wise enough to know relationships end for a reason. There is no point in reopening something that will simply end for the exact same reasons. I'm a fan of saving myself the headache. I want this, _us_ to happen, Kara. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. I trust you so completely, and I. . . I feel like I can be myself with you and accept me. I wouldn't throw that away, Kara. Not for anyone."

Kara pushed her glasses up and worried her lips together. "I'm sorry, Lena. I really shouldn't have brought it up."

Lena peered into Kara's eyes. "What do you mean?"

Kara hesitated. But she knew she couldn't keep this from Lena as that would put Lena in danger. "We found evidence that. . . _irrefutable_ evidence that Jack is the one who was behind the murder of the two witnesses."

Lena's entire countenance darkened. "You 'found' evidence? What, are you stalking him?"

"No, I followed my instincts as a journalist and they led me to the truth. We found this," Kara replied, then held up her phone. She watched Lena's face as the video played and Kara's heart broke just watching the betrayal creep into the brunette's face.

When it finished Lena said, "Does anyone else know?"

"Just you and me."

"You need to let me talk to him before this buries him."

"Lena I can't let you do that. He's already killed two people and if you talk to him you'll be the third. Please stay away from him."

"I can't bury him without talking to him first, Kara, I owe him that. We need to give him a chance before this hits the media."

"Lena if anything happened to you I would never forgive myself. Please stay away from him. I've got Supergirl on the case. She won't hurt him. I promise."

"And how can you make that promise, Kara?" Lena demanded.

But the question wasn't suggesting Lena wanted to know how Kara knew Supergirl so well. It almost sounded like an accusation.

"Because I know Supergirl," Kara said. "We'll make sure he gets a fair trial, okay?"

"I have a lot of work I need to finish, Kara. I'm sorry."

She turned away from Kara and her heart felt like it was being torn from her chest. "I'm sorry Lena, but I can't let him hurt anyone else."

"I understand," Lena said, but her voice was cold and she did not turn.

As Kara walked away, she had a feeling something terrible was about to happen.

* * *

Kara hadn't wanted the feeling to be right. And now here she sat holding the woman with whom she was falling in love, trying somehow to comfort her after what had happened. Promising to be there for her no matter what. And again she felt guilt, but even more infuriatingly, she felt helplessness. Lena had been put in an impossible position and had to choose between the man she used to be with, used to _love,_ and Supergirl. Part of her was selfishly grateful Lena had chosen as she did, otherwise Kara might very well be dead, but mostly she felt guilt. Guilt that the whole thing lead to a good man's death.

She couldn't keep hiding who she was. She had to tell Lena. The timing was terrible right now, all things considered, but she had to tell Lena. Soon. And then Kara knew she would have to ask Lena for something more permanent because she couldn't keep up the charade of just dating. They'd been dating for months now, and it was no longer enough. She wanted so much more with Lena, every moment of every day. She longed to feel Lena's naked body against her own, to touch and kiss every part of her body. She longed to share ever stolen kiss, every sweet moment couples share. All of it.

Kara placed a tender, gentle kiss on Lena's temple. "I'll never leave you, Lena. I will _always_ protect you. No matter what."

"You can't promise that. No one can," Lena said, her eyes still staring emptily at the distant wall.

"I can, Lena. And I am. I will always protect you, I will always be here for you, even if I have to walk through fire to find you I'll always come for you and I'll always protect you."

This seemed to stir something within Lena and she finally looked up to meet Kara's gaze. "Why are you so good to me, Kara? What did I ever do to deserve such pure adoration? If you knew what was good for you, you would run from me."

"Never," Kara replied firmly. Then she brushed her index finger beneath Lena's chin and tilted it up. "Never," she repeated, then pressed her lips against Lena's.

For the briefest of moments Kara felt Lena stiffen, but then the kiss seemed to shatter a wall, a barrier in her defenses, for a moment later she felt the dampness of tears enter the kiss. Lena's body shook and Kara cradled her in the kiss, grounding Lena, offering herself to the other. Kara only pulled away so she could hold Lena allow her this moment to let go, to forget for this moment that she was a Luthor and that it was okay to cry, that she was safe.

When the soft sobs began to subside, Kara pulled back and gazed lovingly into Lena's eyes. She was met with uncertainty, but Kara had never been more in love with Lena.

"You're so beautiful, Lena," Kara said softly. "Thank you for letting me in, for allowing me to see you. I know there are very few people to whom you trust to open yourself. I cherish you, Lena Luthor."

"God, Kara," Lena breathed, and Kara felt the other's hands tighten and bunch of the fabric of Kara's shirt. "I don't know how you're doing this to me. When you came in I was certain I felt nothing. And now look at me." Lena let out a weak laugh. "I'm a mess."

"And you're still the most beautiful person I've ever seen," Kara replied, tenderly wiping away Lena's tears.

"Will you. . . will you stay with me tonight?" Lena said. "I really don't want to be alone right now."

"As long as you need," Kara replied. "All night, all week if you want me to. I would do anything for you, Lena. Anything."

When they left Lena's office and at last lay on Lena's bed, Kara cocooned herself around Lena, sheltering her from the world and all it's darkness. She knew she could never undo the things that had happened to Lena. But she would be damned if she would ever let anything happen to her again. When she was sure Lena had long fallen asleep, she whispered into the dark, "I love you, Lena Luthor."


	5. Chapter 5

**Spoiler Warning:** Slight spoiler about the episode called "Alex." If you haven't seen it, go see it! It's a good episode!

 **Author's Note:** You're welcome. You'll see. X3

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Kara stood outside Lena's door yet again nervous to go in, though this time for entirely different reasons than all the times before. This time she could lose Lena forever. This time she was here to tell Lena she was Supergirl, and that wasn't exactly a small thing to tell someone. But more importantly than that, she was here to ask Lena to be in a committed relationship with her, assuming she took the Supergirl news well.

Kara prayed it wasn't too soon. It had only been three weeks since Jack's death and the last thing Kara wanted was to be, or come across as, insensitive. But then Alex had almost died and it made Kara realize that she was really just being a coward about the whole thing. She'd never felt about anyone how she felt about Lena and that terrified her. She was so afraid of losing Lena that she had lost sight of the important thing— _keeping_ Lena. Kara hated that it took almost losing Alex to realize it. She couldn't afford these kinds of oversights, these kinds of mistakes.

Kara knocked before she could think about it any longer and lose her nerve. She was many things, but she refused to allow coward to be one of them. The door opened and Kara's heart fluttered when she was greeted by Lena's smiling face. Though their date was only a casual evening in watching a movie (they agreed on Lena's apartment because her TV was bigger), Lena looked stunning. She wore a pine green sleeveless hoodie that looked like it was made of a cloud and all things soft in the world, and a pair of black yoga pants that Kara realized were her kryptonite. They just had a way of clinging to Lena's hips in a way that begged to be touched, to be worshipped.

"Well good evening Miss Danvers. I see you're right on time," Lena said with that omnipresent flirtatious grin. She welcomed Kara in and walked to the kitchen while Kara shrugged off her jacket. After a moment's hesitation, Kara flipped the hefty lock on the door. If all went well tonight, she would not be going home.

"Drink?" Lena asked as Kara crossed to join her in the kitchen. "I also have zebra caramel popcorn. I hope you like chocolate as much as I do."

A tender smile worked its way into Kara's lips. "Actually, before we watch the movie, I was hoping we could go up into the garden for a few minutes?" she asked, fidgeting nervously with the buttons on her blouse. Her Supergirl uniform suddenly felt too tight, like she was wearing it on the outside of her clothes. For an irrational moment, she actually thought it was and that Lena could see it.

Lena set down the bottle of wine she was about to open. "Ooh a mystery rendezvous. I'm game. And what does the mysterious Miss Danvers have planned, pray tell?"

Kara bit her lower lip and grinned. "You'll see."

Kara slipped her hand into Lena's and pulled her up the spiral staircase leading to the roof. When they arrived, the paper lanterns lit up automatically, revealing the beautiful rooftop garden. She took Lena to the rainbow bridge and the water fountain lights surrounding them flickered on, illuminating the lovely koi pond beneath. Kara turned to faced Lena and took both of the brunette's hands in her own.

"Thank you for having me over tonight," Kara said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was wrong earlier on the phone. I was. . .," Kara paused, struggling to find the words. "Alex was kidnapped," she said at length. "She almost died."

"Oh my God," Lena said quietly, her eyes widening. "Is she okay? Are you okay?"

"We found her, and yes she's thankfully okay. But it made me realize something that for reasons I can't explain, I was unable to see before." Kara took a deep breath, then took the plunge. "And that is, life is precious and short and as fragile as the finest of blown glass. I can't always protect those closest to me, but at the same time I desperately _need_ those closest to me. I can't separate myself from Alex simply because she's not always safe with me around. Because without her, I would not be whole, I would be incomplete. And the thing is, like Alex, you are one of those people who complete me. But you have a right to separate yourself, you have a right to decide your own fate. You have a right to choose a life less complex than I can offer."

"Well I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about, but if it's safety you're worried about, I can tell you that I come from a family born paranoid. This entire building is a bunker, not just my apartment. And the glass roof I had installed is bulletproof. Oh and I had several secret exits installed in case of a home invasion—escape exits that lead directly to vehicles in the basement of this building. My entire room will also lock down with titanium plating by either the press of a button or a secret word."

Kara glanced around. It didn't look like a bunker, but upon focusing her X-Ray vision, she did see the titanium dome tucked away beneath them, awaiting its chance to be of use. "Is there a manual switch for the titanium dome in case the wiring for the electronic activation fails or is hacked?"

"Seven, hidden throughout my apartment," Lena replied with a grin. "I learned a long time ago that I can't trust the 'good will of man' to keep me safe. Titanium and impenetrable locks keep me safe, not altruism. My life is already complex and has always _been_ complex, so whatever complexity you're talking about, I say bring it on. Now are you going to tell me what this is all about, Kara?"

Kara nodded and took a slow, deep breath. _'Here we go,'_ she thought. _'You can do this.'_

"My actions nearly got Alex killed. I was thinking with my fists and not with my intellect. I need people in my life who ground me, and you are one of those people, Lena. You are the most important one. You are my intellect and I should have told you what was happening and I'm sorry. A mistake I do not intend to repeat."

"And you are my strength," Lena said, running her fingertips along Kara's arm.

Kara shuddered and had to stop herself from attacking Lena's lips right then and there. "L-Lena I want so much to make love to you," she blurted out before she could think the better of it. "But before I can allow myself to ask for your consent, there's something you have a right to know first."

"Okay," Lena said, a flicker of apprehension entering her eyes.

Kara closed her eyes and slowly pulled off her glasses. "The reason I have asked we take it slow and not be intimate sooner is not from lack of wanting. _Believe_ me. It's because I respect you too much to sleep with you without complete consent." Kara tucked her glasses within her blouse pocket and began unbuttoning her shirt. "After what happened with Alex, I almost didn't come here tonight. I thought if I pushed you away it might protect you. But I can't. I can't bear the thought of being without you. Those I love build me up and make me stronger, to push away those whom I love would make me weaker, lesser." Kara's body lifted off the ground so she hovered a few feet above the bridge, and she finished opening her shirt to reveal the red symbol for the House of El beneath. "I can only pray you can accept me and forgive my cowardice in not telling you sooner."

Kara watched Lena's face closely, but she saw no fear behind the brunette's eyes. She didn't even see surprise which was slightly concerning. But then a wide smile crept into Lena's lips and all of Kara's concern melted away.

"Kara," Lena said in a whisper that rolled off her tongue like a happy sigh. "I was so worried you would never tell me. You have no idea how much it means to me that you're trusting me with this."

Kara processed Lena's words and her brow furrowed. "Wait, you knew?!" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Oh Kara. Of course I knew," Lena replied and slid her hands on Kara's hips. She pulled Kara back to the ground. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't make the connection until the first time you told me, as Kara, that you would always be there for me. You didn't rescue me as Supergirl, you rescued me as Kara. That's when I knew you were one and the same."

Kara went over the timeline in her head and a realization dawned on her. "Wait. So when you told Supergirl that you were in love with Kara, you already knew I _was_ Supergirl?"

"Yes."

"But then . . . but why . . . but-?"

"It was sort of my cowardly way of trying to see if you were interested in me romantically. I also figured it would give you an easy out to pretend nothing happened if you didn't feel the same."

"So, just to make sure I'm understanding you," Kara said, "you knew I was Supergirl and chose to date me regardless of the possible danger, and you're not angry with me for not telling you sooner?"

"I figured – _hoped –_ you would tell me when you were ready. Is that why you haven't slept with me yet? Because you wanted to tell me you were Supergirl first?" Lena asked, and a tenderness entered her eyes that made Kara's knees feel weak.

"Well had I known you already knew, I would have made a move a lot sooner. But it didn't feel right going any further until you did."

"Why?" Lena asked with genuine curiosity.

"Absolute consent," Kara replied. "I didn't feel like I had it until you knew who I am. It was different with guys, there's a difference in the way my body interacts with males than with females. With the few guys I was with in college, it was easy to control my body because none of them really 'drove me wild.' But you. . . just the thought of being with you does things to me that. . . let's just say I _do_ worry about losing control with you. If you ever feel unsafe, you need to let me know immediately because the last thing I ever want to do is hurt you."

"You have it," Lena replied promptly.

Kara blinked. "What?" she stammered.

"Absolute consent. Absolute and _complete_ consent. You have it."

And then Lena gave the Kryptonian a look of such complete inviting lust, Kara momentarily forgot to breathe. A smile spread across Kara's face that felt as though her whole being was smiling.

Without hesitation, Kara launched into superspeed, picked up Lena, flew them downstairs, and landed atop the surprised Luthor on the soft bed beneath a moment later. Lena let out an adorable startled squeak, followed by the sweet tinkling of laughter.

"Can I expect this much enthusiasm every time, Miss Danvers?"

Kara replied with a burning kiss that had them both groaning into it within seconds. Soon their tongues were writhing together and Kara gasped when she felt one of Lena's legs hook around Kara's upper thigh. The blonde drove her pelvis down in response so they ground together intimately, the action causing a soft cry of pleasure to escape the brunette's lips.

Hands tugged at Kara's blouse and the kryptonian tore it off in response, not caring that the buttons went flying off in the process. Then she realized, much to her disappointment, she was still wearing her Supergirl uniform. Lena glanced down and giggled.

"Maybe when you come over from now on, you could bring it with you but don't wear it? How about that?"

One of Kara's eyebrows arched. "You underestimate how quickly I can be rid of this, Miss Luthor."

As fast as her extraordinary speed would allow, she tore off her uniform and landed back on top of Lena still partially dressed in her normal clothes. Her uniform hit the floor a second later.

Lena laughed again. "Or that. You could do that."

The brunette grabbed Kara's face and pulled her back down for another searing kiss. They parted lips only so Kara could pull Lena's hoodie over her head, and Kara was extremely pleased to find Lena was not wearing a bra. Kara latched onto one of the perfect breasts with her lips and when Lena arched into her, Kara felt light-headed.

Kara suckled both of Lena's breasts until they were taught with arousal, and when Kara glanced up, she was thoroughly pleased to see Lena's eyes had gone dark with lust. Kara kissed her way back up to Lena's neck while her hands travelled down, pushing the yoga pants down and out of the way. Lena helped kick them off and helped the blonde out of her own slacks and blouse.

When their clothes were discarded, they at last lay skin-to-skin and Kara lost herself in the sea of silky smooth skin beneath her. She'd wanted this from the first time she laid eyes on Lena, and now that it was finally happening she wanted to lose herself in it never to be found again. She lifted her head to gaze into the other's deliciously darkened eyes and was again left breathless. Lena gazed back with an expression of such love, lust, and absolute trust, Kara felt like she was gazing into infinity itself.

"There's something I didn't tell you, something I didn't say when you told Supergirl you were in love with me," Kara said, sprinkling kisses along Lena's beautiful jawline.

"Oh?" Lena said, her voice low and breathless. "And what would that be?"

"That I'm in love with you, too."

The words hung between them, suspended by a heartbeat as their eyes locked. Then in the next instant their lips were crashing back together in another fiery kiss. Kara could no longer contain her desire to touch Lena, and her hand slid down the other's smooth body until it found its resting place between Lena's thighs. Lena hissed in a breath and her hips lifted into Kara's touch. Kara felt like she was dreaming of floating or freefalling into bliss. Never had anything in her life felt more right, more perfect than this moment.

The Kryptonian took great pleasure in teasing and torturing Lena with clever fingers until Lena was pushing her hips up into Kara's hand demanding more. When Kara at last gave her the relief she so desired, Lena responded with a groan.

"Kara. . .!"

The single word sent a shudder rippling through Kara and she rewarded Lena by plunging a finger deep within her warm, wet walls. Lena's fingertips dug into Kara's back and suddenly Kara lamented the fact that Lena's fingernails couldn't leave marks on her back. Kara liked the idea of Lena marking her as her own. Lena seemed to like the idea too, because her fingertips dug deeper when Kara added a second finger to the clinging heat.

"Fuck!" Lena said breathlessly, bucking her hips into Kara's touch until the blonde's fingers were buried to the knuckle.

"Lena," Kara purred the other's name, "God, Lena you're so beautiful." She emphasized her words by worshipping the brunette's neck with her lips and carefully nibbled the tender skin. She hastened the rhythm of her fingers until Lena was groaning with every exhale which sent fire to Kara's core.

When Lena came for Kara, the Kryptonian's world shattered, and when it was reborn in the next instant, she knew she was forever changed. Lena held nothing back. Her hips bucked into Kara's hand until the headboard sounded as though it would break, and still she demanded more until she came again. When Lena cried out Kara's name as the brunette's inner walls tightened again and again around her fingers, Kara suddenly realized what it was to make love. She'd had sex before, but this. . . _this_ was Earth-shattering bliss.

When Lena's hips at last settled back on the bed, Kara lifted her head so she could see Lena. She was delighted to see Lena's cheeks were flushed and her skin glistened with tiny beads of sweat. Kara reveled in the fact that it was also the first time she'd seen Lena's normally perfect hair looked disheveled and like she'd just had pretty amazing sex.

But the smile Lena gave Kara was what really stole her breath away. It was adoring and loving and made Kara's heart ache with love and desire she'd never known before. She reached up and tenderly stroked Lena's cheek.

"I love you, Lena Luthor," she whispered.

"I love you," Lena replied softly. "And God, I just made love to Kara Danvers."

"Never thought you'd sleep with Supergirl?" Kara asked with a small smile.

"No, it's not that," Lena replied. "I never thought I'd ever be lucky enough to sleep with _you_. I never imagined, never dared _hope_ I would ever deserve you, Kara Danvers."

Kara didn't know what to say, how to respond to such sweet words, but Lena seemed to recover her strength just then because she suddenly rolled Kara beneath her. Their lips met again, but only briefly before Lena's lips were exploring Kara's naked body. With every kiss, every gentle stroke of Lena's hands, Kara felt as though her body were on fire - a feeling she didn't think she'd ever experience since arriving on Earth all those years ago.

Lena worshipped Kara's body like a temple, made Kara feel as though she were the only person in the universe and nothing and no one else existed. When Lena's soft fingers settled between Kara's thighs, it was all Kara could do not to scream into the night. She felt like she'd wanted this for lifetimes, and now that it was finally happening, it was almost too much. Kryptonians were a notoriously romantic and sensitive race, and Kara was no exception.

Lena seemed unconcerned with the sensation-overload happening in Kara's body and in fact she seemed quite determined to drive Kara insane with pleasure. Every time Kara would start getting used to the stimulation Lena was providing, she would increase it, harder and faster until Kara was whimpering and on the verge of begging for more.

As if on cue, finality began clawing its way through Kara's body, something she didn't even know a human could make her do. It wasn't from lack of trying with the few guys in college she'd been with, but it had never been successful.

When it happened, Kara came undone. Her back arched off the bed and she cried out into the night as wave after wave of pleasure tore though her body, blurring the lines between pleasure and pain. She felt the sheets tear under her strong hands, but in her pleasured haze, she barely noticed. She longed to cling to her lover's back, but for fear of hurting Lena, she dug her fingers deeper into the mattress instead as Lena dragged another orgasm from her body.

Somewhere in the fog of pleasure, she became aware Lena's lips were pressed against her own and she let out a soft groan into the kiss. Lena kissed her until Kara mentally came back down to Earth. When Lena pulled back, the look Kara received yet again left her breathless. Sometimes the look of complete and unadulterated love Lena gave her both broke her heart and made it feel stronger than ever before.

Lena's eyes eventually drifted down Kara's body and then to her hands which were still clenched in tight fists around the sheets. When Lena saw this, she burst out laughing which gave Kara a small heart attack.

"What?" Kara demanded.

Lena gestured to Kara's still clenched fists, and the blonde glanced down to see that, not only had she shredded the sheets, but several chunks of mattress had been torn up too. Kara released the fabric and clamped her hand over her mouth in mortification. "I'm so sorry! I'll pay for new sheets! And a new mm-!"

Lena cut off the stammering Kryptonian with a fierce kiss.

"Kara. Relax. I don't care; it's only a thing, and 'things' I can certainly afford to replace."

"But-!"

Lena pressed her index finger over Kara's lips. "Ssshh. Now. Since the mattress is already ruined, no harm in ruining it some more."

A beautifully libidinous smile spread across Lena's lips and before Kara knew what was happening, the brunette was kissing her way down Kara's body.

"The question is," Lena said in a buttery, seductive voice, running her tongue over Kara's still-aroused clit, "how many rounds is Supergirl good for?"

As Lena's kiss-darkened lips sealed around Kara's burning clit, causing her to yet again cry out in pleasure, she had a feeling she was about to find out.


End file.
